Irate PMB residents confront mayor over service delivery woes
Frustrated residents in Pietermaritzburg are demanding answers and transparency regarding unresolved water and power issues plaguing the city.
Scores of them headed to City Hall to confront Mayor Mzimkhulu Thebolla on Wednesday.
They have also expressed dissatisfaction with the implementation of a water curtailment for a twelve-month period.
Ward 25 resident, Elbie Parfit, says they have been grappling with these issues for five years.
"We are on a daily survival mode because you constantly have to plan ahead. You cannot bake a cake because you don't know whether the electricity is going to go off or if the water is suddenly going to stop running.
"We had a resident yesterday [Tuesday] a 60-year-old lady broke down in tears and said she can't do this anymore. It is mentally and physically challenging on us as residents."
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Megan Nicol is a Montrose Community Watch leader.
"The northern suburbs at large got fed up with the fact that water services had been out for a number of days and on top of that the electricity went off as well due to some issue at the substation.
"We were not getting proper feedback and every time we attempted to get any information for the turnaround time of the substation being fixed there was nothing forthcoming and every time we did get something it was to form."
The Mayor has acknowledged the impact the problems are having on residents.
"Apparently our teams are on the ground running tests to know if there us anything that needs our urgent attention."
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